Too soon? Perhaps. If you live in a cave you may not know that Hawaii has a LAVA situation in one of our communities. 1700 people evacuated and 26 homes destroyed. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

What Happened?

Kilauea which has been actively erupting since 1983 decided to open up somewhere new. here’s a quote from Amy B. Wang (Washington Post)

Shortly after Kilauea erupted Thursday, the ground split open on the east side of Leilani Estates, exposing an angry red beneath the lush landscape. From the widening gash, molten rock burbled and splashed, then shot dozens of feet in the air.

The dangers involved

Aside from the obvious destructive dangers of pure lava… the residents have to beware of toxic gases. Sulfur dioxide fills the air as the gases escape from the fissures (cracks) in the ground. As I type this there are 14 total fissures (not all have lava spurting out). Another danger that people may face is being trapped by lava. When people are driving back in to grab their essentials the possibility of the road being overrun are real.

What do we do now?

We wait. For those that are in Leilani Estates all they can do is wait. I reside on Oahu 200 miles away from the flow. But my heart goes out to all the families affected. My aunty has lava in her yard as I type this. The main concern for the residents is their family, important documents, medicine, pets and livestock. Other than that everything else is replaceable.

The Reality

Land ownership is temporary. We are stewards. Anyone that has endured natural disasters the way native Hawaiians have for the past 400 years understands this. No matter what safeguards we put into place it’s all just “stuff” as some local residents have vocalized. One thing that I’ve watched over the past four days is that the locals had one priority in mind… find the ones you love and make sure they are safe. Everything else can be replaced.

While the uncertainty still looms over those who wait for the lava to stop… there are a few things that will sustain them. Love. Just like the Hawaiians have learned many years ago… love well. Love often.

That has been my motto for the past year. So what has been happening in Hawaii lately?? We have had some mildly depressing weather conditions lately. One day it’s sunny. The next day it’s storming. Then followed by 4 days of overcast skies.

Part of my “success” on social media depends on us having sunny days. But it seems that I have been neglecting my websites motto. “virtual Hawaii daily” – that should have meant RAIN or SHINE. And to my loyal supporters who have been waiting for that “live notification” (that rarely happened)… my apologies.

I have always treasured my supporters that shared their reasons for following me on social media. And they were all heart heavy reasons.

the Resolution:

I will have to remind myself what brought you to me. Me going LIVE… OFTEN. Rain or Shine I will click that red button. Whether it’s taking my drone to the skies, shooting epic waves, cooking real local food or simply just doing a “life scope”… I’ll keep doing it.

Someone out there near or far (mostly far because I’m on an island LOL) needs to experience Hawaii. And I’m the ticket that’s already paid. All it costs is time. As expensive as time is I can carve out a few more hours for you. See you soon… Cheeeeee!

Alooooooha everyone! Here is my long OVERDUE blog post. I trust this post finds you in a great “season” of your life… if not i hope that next couple of paragraphs will bring some sunshine in your day.

What I will attempt here today is to drop a few insights and nuggets of encouragement. So here is the update in my life for the month of May. If you do not follow me on Periscope then you’ll probably realize that you’re missing out on a lot “stuff” about me. So whats new? Well Em needed a car so I ended up getting a Ford Explorer for her. And since she got that I needed a new bike LOL (and yes the Lambo was click bait) :p

Another thing that I want you guys to “stay tuned” for is my webinars I am currently in the middle of editing. As soon as they are done I will have 2 courses up. The first one will be “Community Building 101” and “Monetizing your social media” – I will charge a fee- but just for accountability. I’ve found that things given out for free are not stewarded properly. So your “investment” will make sure that you “stay the course” and don’t quit.

So that’s it. Short and sweet. No Lamborghini. (yet) Be sure to follow me on social media ( @darealgreglopez ) for daily connections. Wait… there’s more! (you thought Id forget about the words of encouragement?) Theres a favorite verse of mine that I like to read often (Joshua 1:9) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So if you’re facing a mountain … just remember they are made of the same materials we use for SIDEWALKS… Be blessed. See you all on the other side. 🙂

Last night I had the opportunity to take my wife to Teppanyaki Ginza Onodera. I basically asked Siri for restaurants “in my area”. This was the first place that was recommended.

I will not labor you with all the dramatic elements that led me to this restaurant. However I will say this… it is the only restaurant in the state of Hawaii allowed to serve Japanese Kobe beef. Apparently there are many restaurants that serve Kobe beef, but select few are privileged to serve the Japan version. The executive chef made it clear that the “bloodline” of the Japanese Kobe beef is not shared with American ranchers. (or other purveyors of Kobe beef)

Let just say that every side dish from the fresh array of vegetables to even the crab legs and the final item which was 100 percent kona coffee… was exquisite. One unique item was the hydroponic salad. The ahi sashimi was literally BROKDAMOUT! And the seared Hawaiian snapper! to the Kobe beef tare tare… dude I’m getting hungry writing this.

Enough with the blah blah blah. The Kobe beef was cooked medium. It melted in my mouth. It was sooooooo good. I eat steak every 3 days… and this steak was literally the best i have ever tasted. I’m not one of many words… so please enjoy the pictures and watch my “debrief” on Periscope ( replay is here)

If you plan on eating here keep in mind that the dishes start at 160 a person.

the address should you decide to eat here is: 1726 S. King Street Honolulu, HI 96826

Welcome to Hano No Sato. Emily and I found this little “hole in the wall” restaurant in the heart of Waikiki. We walked 5 minutes from our hotel room to get some Ramen. As soon as we arrived there was one problem. No Ramen. We discussed the possibility of leaving for about three minutes. I’m glad we stayed. Emily ordered Hamachi Sashimi and I ordered Ahi Sashimi to start. Da buggahs was ONO! (tasty) The Yellowtail (Hamachi) sashimi was buttery and light and the same time… Rich and flavorful. The Ahi was perfect. Firm and beautiful texture in every bite. [pic below]

For our “main course” we ordered Steak and Toro Yukke [similar to Hawaiian sweet Poke]. For the most part I always eat my steak medium. Even though this was a sushi restaurant I took a chance on the steak. [I had some far-fetched fantasy that I would be served Kobe Beef LOL] Ems Toro Yukke was “ok” as I didn’t come here to eat Poke. As our main courses came out our side dishes came out as well. I can’t tell you what they were as I didn’t ask LOL. All I know is that they were really tasty! Taking my first bite into that steak was a delight. It was tender and cooked EXACTLY as I ordered it. Simple. No sauces. Just salt and pepper. There is not much I can say about the food because it was simple and fresh. Nothing complicated just good food prepared perfectly.

If there is one drawback (and it’s actually a plus) is the fact that this place is isolated. It’s not visible from the street… Its hidden under a staircase in a dark alley. There is approximately 30 seats total in this place. But the major benefit of a place like this… It’s exclusive to those who know about it. The next time I go there I will try the welk sashimi.

THE VERDICT

Total bill with tip: 80 bucks. Worth it? Definitely. The address? I won’t tell you. When you come to Hawaii I will tell you how to get there 🙂

With seasons… plant seeds. It’s a basic principle of sowing and reaping. You want a big harvest? Sow lots of seeds in good soil.

For those of you that have been waiting for my “weekly” blog posts… I apologize. Life approached me. I was busy. And I didn’t manage my blog properly. However, moving forward I have gained a second wind! The sole purpose of this post is to share my heart with you on this last day of January. If you have been following me on Periscope you may have seen a slight shift in my broadcasts as of late. Less “fun scenic” scopes to more talking and “life” scopes.

LET ME TELL YOU WHY

Like anything else we have to constantly adapt. Grow. Change. My birth on social media was as if it was injected with anabolic steroids. Livestreaming definitely opened MASSIVE DOORS for us. From corporate sponsors to “mailbox money” it all started with Periscope. So now that we have this community what do we do with it? This past week God impressed upon my heart to go ahead and start that “shift” that I’ve been talking about.

There are so many people who I meet on a daily basis, and it humbles me every time. The fact that there are thousands of people willing to connect with me on a weekly basis… it makes me conscious of every minute I spend with them. I cannot afford to take your time without giving you something of value in return. Yes the scenic broadcasts are amazing. I love sharing my kitchen with you. But its time.

TIME FOR WHAT?

Last year we received hundreds of emails and messages asking for prayer. People were hurting. Sick. Loved ones lost. My passion is to share my heart with you this year… But more importantly… who its tethered to. To an amazing God who has loved me unconditionally by sending His Son to take my place for something I can never repay.

Next, I rolled out the dough [make sure there is enough flour spread out so it doesn’t stick]

After dough was flattened out I placed the apples and cream cheese in the center of the croissant dough [usually the pre-cuts are triangles]

I then sprinkled the sugar/cinnamon mix. After that I folded the dough over creating a nice “dumpling” look. LOL. To make sure that the filling stay inside I used a fork to “pinch” the dough tight. [watch video]

I then baked them in the oven at 375 degrees for 12-14 min [make sure to use parchment paper so the bottom doesn’t burn]

the VERDICT

“DA buggahs was ono!” I’m not comfortable with baking simply because it requires measuring things out. I am the type of cook that likes to just chop stuff and throw it in a pan. I must say that I am slightly proud that it tasted good. Now all I need to do is work on my presentation! MAHALO for reading this… and please watch the VIDEO if this blog confused you LOL